Red And Black
by Your Science Biatch
Summary: Adam Taurus wasn't always a brutal member of the White Fang; he once had some redeeming qualities. Rather, talents. Oneshot.


"Blake, I said hold still—"

It was always like that when they did this. Every damned morning, for the most part. Adam was never able to keep calm, and Blake was never able to be patient, and it usually resulted in both of them pissed, storming out from opposite ends of the tent.

Hopefully, it would be different today, on such a big day.

"You already know I can't!" she said, cutting him off and rolling her eyes. In her hands was a black bow, one he'd given her on her birthday. Shocking he hadn't forgotten it, given how busy he was getting. Moving up in the ranks, he'd said, was no simple task and required him to spend less and less time with her and more with lieutenants and generals and other leaders.

"It'll only take a few more minutes, I'm almost done anyway." His hands grabbed and moved pieces of her hair, brushing them away from her face with skill.

Blake could practically hear him huff with pride at his work, and she rolled her eyes again. Seeing his smug expression every day once they were done was annoying, but she ignored it. He was the one who made her look so nice.

"Would you like me to help you put on the bow?" he asked. One gloved hand reached forwards to take it, and she handed it to him without protest. It was never good to say no to him.

More pieces of hair were pulled away, revealing bright amber eyes. Adam's hands were surprisingly gentle, and he tied back the loose with the bow.

"You can open your eyes now, Blake," he said.

She did.

Her hair was styled better than usual, with pieces delicately curled and placed to perfection. The bow sat in the back of her head, holding back twin braids.

"You've brought your own demise," she deadpanned. "Everyone will be asking you to style their hair, and you won't have time to move up in the ranks."

"Curses." He helped her up and smirked. "I'm still mad you refused to get red highlights. Or red dip dye."

Blake chuckled. "Because it would just look simply… divine? Isn't that what you said?"

"I believe it was, yes."

Both left the tent together, and they were immediately joined by a lieutenant, who did not make the mistake of forgetting to compliment the two.

"Miss Belladonna, your friend is waiting in another tent. The chameleon Faunus."

"You should go. Ilia gets irritating when you don't go talk to her right away," Adam said.

She chuckled and nodded. "Tell me about it."

Ilia was already outside her tent, waiting. "You're late, my darling," she mused, copying Adam with a smirk. "Nice hair. What do you think our charming bull friend would do for me?"

"Probably just tie it up." Blake followed her inside with a shrug, but stopped, seeing the setup. "What is all this…?"

Somehow, Ilia had managed to set it all up like a real hair salon, with the fun twisting chairs and bowls full of water. There were tons of scissors, hair dryers, and everything else a real hairdresser would need.

"Just a little gift. What do you think?"

"I think you're trying to buy his affection," the cat Faunus murmured. "When is he coming?"

"A few minutes, with a bunch of other White Fang members."

She nodded and sat down opposite from her friend, who was in the process of letting down her hair from the tight bun she usually had it in.

Within minutes and without notice, there were at least thirty people surrounding them. They hadn't even gotten the chance to speak.

Adam was the last one to arrive and, seeing all the people there to get their hair styled, he grinned.

"This—" he began, stumbling over his words in a way he'd never done before, "This is all for— For me?"

Ilia nodded and ran her fingers through her hair. "Yeah. Surprise."

"Thank you…. Blake!"

Over the sounds of his cheers, Ilia's protests were ignored. She eventually gave up and simply watched him style hair, person after person.

Blake grew tired of watching Adam cut, dye, shave, and tie hair, person after person. There was little she could do; leaving would be considered rude, and people were constantly asking her questions about how he did her hair, despite it being obvious she didn't want to talk to them.

Ilia wasn't any better; she was spending her time joking around with the others, staring at Adam all the while. As though by doing it she could steal his talents or gain his affection. Poor girl.

A young girl, with floppy dog ears and even longer auburn hair, jumped off her chair with a smile. Her hair was tied around her head in what Adam had called a crown braid, for good reason. However, the dog ears flopped on either side of her face, creating an odd picture. The girl thanked him anyway. He patted her on the shoulder, careful not to touch her head.

One man, a lieutenant by what the looks of it, sneered at the styling. He, too, had floppy dog ears and appeared to be the girl's father. "Taurus! This— What is this?" He gestured vaguely at her hair. "It looks like a bird's nest and dead worms flopping out on either side!"

 _(Wrong move, Bro.)_

Adam lunged forwards and grabbed the man by the neck, sneering, and shoved it into a bucket of water. With an expected strength, he kept it there and drowned the man, pulling him out only when he stopped struggling.

Then, just for good measure, he slit the man's throat.

Blood sprayed his face, clothes, and the floor, as well as some people around him—including Blake.

Adam tossed aside the body and grinned at her, arms open wide. "I told you, my darling, that you'd look better with red highlights."

"YOU CAN BARELY SEE IT FOR FUCK'S SAKE!"

"Okay, you're next!"

* * *

A sign was put on in front of the tent the next day.

"If you're going to comment negatively on the hairstyles, be prepared for death and/or decapitation. And then some taunting after that."

* * *

 _September 29th 2017: Edited for clarity and to eliminate mistakes._


End file.
